Russia's nuclear power plants are dangerously under-prepared for earthquakes and other disasters, said a state review conducted after Japan's Fukushima accident and obtained Thursday by AFP. The unusually candid survey was presented to a council chaired by President Dmitry Medvedev on June 9 and initially reported on its website by the Oslo-based Bellona environmental organisation.
Russia has until now steadfastly defended its 10 nuclear power plants and 32 reactors against criticism. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on April 30 pronounced the country's nuclear safety system "the best in the world". But the State Council review revealed more than 30 weaknesses including reduced disaster safety standards and a lack of a clear strategy for securing spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste at many plants.
"The strength (stability) of engineering structures of most nuclear power plants does not meet current regulatory document requirements for stresses that occur from extreme natural impacts," the report said. The report was released to senior government officials and a select group of Russian non-governmental organisations but not published in the state media.
It was supplied by two different sources to AFP. Rosatom nuclear agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko mentioned recent improvement recommendations over the weekend and said the various fixes would cost around five billion rubles ($180 million). But a spokesman for Rosatom called the readiness level of country's nuclear power plants "more than sufficient" and angrily denied suggestions that this was the report presented at the June 9 meeting.
"We do not consider this paper as official," Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said by telephone. "It was not considered by the State Council." Sources said the nuclear readiness portion of the report was prepared not by Rosatom itself but a different state agency.
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